Cost guide
What should a small business in Canada budget for a website?
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The short answer
A business with one to ten people should budget between roughly CA$227 and CA$2,238 for the first year of a website, before the domain and tax, depending on page count, who writes the content and whether the site takes bookings or feeds a CRM. The three worked examples below are built entirely from Redenn's published prices, so you can swap any line for your own situation and recalculate.
Three worked budgets from published prices
Each column is a realistic small business, priced line by line from Redenn's price list. None of the totals include the domain (the registrar's live price plus CA$9.99 per year if Redenn manages it) or sales tax.
The solo trade needs to be found and called, so one strong page with a phone link does the job. The clinic takes appointments and lives on trust, so it needs professional copy and booking. The contractor gets more enquiries than one person can answer, so the money goes into follow-up automation and a CRM rather than into more pages.
| Line item | Solo trade (1 person) | Clinic or salon (3 people) | Contractor (10 people) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website package | Launch, CA$99 (1 page) | Business, CA$499 (5 pages) | Business Plus, CA$799 (8 pages) |
| Content | Insert your content, CA$29 | Copywriting, 5 pages, from CA$495 | Copywriting, 8 pages, from CA$792 |
| Features | One call-to-action, included | Booking, CA$99 | Lead Follow-Up Automation from CA$149 and CRM Setup from CA$299 |
| Hosting, first year | Redenn Lite, CA$99 | Redenn Business, CA$199 | Redenn Business, CA$199 |
| First-year total before domain and tax | CA$227 | from CA$1,292 | from CA$2,238 |
| Ongoing from year two | CA$99 per year hosting | CA$199 per year hosting | CA$199 per year hosting |
The three decisions that set your price
Page count is the first decision. Write the page names down before you talk to anyone: a page you cannot name is a page you do not need yet. Every standard page beyond the package is CA$49, so the difference between five pages and eight is CA$147, not a new tier.
Content is the biggest swing. If you already have good copy, insertion is CA$29 per page. If you have rough notes, a rewrite is CA$49 per page. If you have nothing, professional copywriting is from CA$99 per page, and for a five-page site that is CA$495 or more, the single largest line after the package itself.
Features are the third decision, and the rule is simple: only pay for a feature with a real process behind it. Booking (CA$99) makes sense if you take appointments today. A CRM makes sense if enquiries are already getting lost. Chat makes sense if someone will actually answer it, or if you use the AI Website Chat subscription from CA$99 per month.
What to add first, and what to skip for now
The items below are ordered by how directly they turn a visitor into an enquiry. Everything in the second list can be added later without rebuilding anything.
- Add first: a spam-protected contact form (CA$29, included from Starter up) and a phone or WhatsApp link on every page.
- Add first: analytics and Search Console (CA$49 and CA$29, included from Starter up) so you can see what happens after launch.
- Add first: Search Setup (CA$99, included in Business and above) and a Google Business Profile link-up, because local customers search before they call.
- Skip for now: a blog (from CA$49) unless you will publish at least monthly.
- Skip for now: payment integration (from CA$99) if you invoice after the job.
- Skip for now: premium pages (from CA$99) and brand starter (from CA$199) if you already have a logo that works.
When the CA$99 page is enough
The Launch site is enough when your business is simple to explain, your customers arrive by referral or by phone, and your immediate need is a credible address on the web that loads fast on a phone. It is not enough when you sell several distinct services that people search for separately, because each of those deserves its own page.
Pros
- Live in 3 to 5 business days after content is received
- CA$99 build plus CA$99 per year hosting on Redenn Lite
- Upgradeable: add pages at CA$49 each, or move to Starter or Business later
Cons
- One page and one call-to-action only
- Placeholder content stays noindex until real content replaces it
- No analytics, Search Console or Search Setup unless added
Ongoing costs after launch
After year one the fixed costs are hosting and the domain. Redenn Lite is CA$99 per year for a static site and Redenn Business is CA$199 per year when the site handles forms and server rendering. The domain renews at the registrar's live price plus the CA$9.99 per year management fee if Redenn manages it.
Everything else is optional and should be judged on whether it pays for itself: Local Search Management from CA$299 per month for one location, AI Website Chat from CA$99 per month, the AI Receptionist from CA$149 per month plus telephony usage. Third-party usage such as SMS or email sending is billed by the provider.
A budgeting checklist before you ask for quotes
Bring these answers to any provider, not only Redenn, and you will get a quote you can compare.
- The named list of pages you need in year one.
- Who is writing the copy, and whether photos exist or need to be taken.
- Which features have a real process behind them today: booking, payments, chat, newsletter.
- Whether you own the domain and who holds the registrar login.
- Whether you need to be found in one city, across a province or by AI search engines.
- Who will answer enquiries within the hour, and what happens when nobody can.
Questions
What is the lowest-cost professional website for a small business in Canada?
Redenn's Launch package is CA$99 for a one-page site, plus CA$99 per year hosting on Redenn Lite and the domain. It is a real build on a global CDN, not a free-tier builder site with someone else's branding.
How much should a three-person business spend on a website?
Using published prices, a five-page Business site with booking, professional copy and business hosting comes to about CA$1,292 in the first year before the domain and tax. Drop copywriting if you can write your own pages and the total falls by CA$495.
Should I pay for copywriting or write it myself?
If you can describe each service clearly in a page of plain English, write it yourself and pay CA$29 per page for insertion or CA$49 per page for a tightening pass. If you cannot find the time, copywriting from CA$99 per page is usually the fastest route to launch.
Do I need a CRM for a small business website?
Only if enquiries are already being missed or forgotten. A contact form that emails you is enough for a solo operator; a CRM (setup from CA$299) matters once several people share the inbox.
What does a website cost per year after it is built?
Hosting from CA$99 per year, the domain at the registrar's live price plus CA$9.99 per year if Redenn manages it, and any optional subscriptions you choose to keep.
Can I start with Launch and move to Business later?
Yes. Pages, forms, analytics and the search foundation are add-ons, so a Launch site can grow page by page, or you can commission the Business package when the time is right.
Related
Services
- Website DesignFast, mobile-first design from a tested component system, priced by page count rather than by the hour.
- CRM SetupPipeline, fields, users, lead sources and contact import configured in your CRM, from CA$299.
- Lead Follow-Up AutomationInstant reply, reminders and hand-off rules so no enquiry sits unanswered, from CA$149 one-time.
- Website HostingGlobal CDN, automatic SSL and monitoring from CA$99/year for static sites to CA$99/month for managed applications.
- Local SearchGoogle Business Profile, local pages, a review workflow and monthly reporting for one location, from CA$299.
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